Foreword
My interest in the environment dates from the beginning of the 1990s and a world that seems both very different and surprisingly similar to that which we know today. This was a time when awareness of some of the risks of anthropogenic (or human inducted) activities to the natural environment was slowly emerging. In particular with respect to what was then termed the excessive greenhouse effect (or global warming) – of which more in the Introduction – and which now is commonly referred to as climate change, as well as Ozone (O3) depletion and acid rain. These latter two phenomena have fortunately been largely consigned to the annals of history. Ozone in the Stratosphere absorbs a relatively large proportion of incoming solar radiation that is contained within the ultraviolet part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Thanks to equipment that was designed by the brilliant chemist and environmentalist James Lovelock, the presence of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) was detected in the Stratosphere. Through a catalytic (chemical chain reaction) process, CFCs break down Ozone. In the 1980s a hole in the Ozone layer was discovered in Antarctica and a significant thinning of Ozone was discovered elsewhere. This increases the incoming solar radiation – particularly ultraviolet radiation – but, more alarmingly, also significantly increases the risks of developing skin Cancer. This discovery led to the universal ratification, in 1987, of the Montreal Protocol to phase out Ozone-depleting chemicals (in particular, refrigerants such as CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs). Also, during the 1980s, large tracts of forestry in Northern Europe were being devastated by acid rain (strictly speaking, both dry and wet deposition of Sulphuric acid), caused by emissions of Sulphur Dioxide from power stations, with Britain being one of the most significant culprits due to its predominantly coal-fired power stations. This led to the installation of Flue Gas Desulphurisation equipment in Britain’s power stations which subsequently reduced the acidification of airborne moisture and the harmful effects that that had on plants and trees.
Over 30 years later, what has variously been called the excessive greenhouse effect, global warming and climate change – essentially the effects of the former two – is still very much with us. Modern society and our capitalist economy, which increasingly concentrates wealth into the hands of a privileged few, is addicted to the use of energy and the associated emissions of Carbon Dioxide. Back in 1992, I was hugely inspired (and concerned) by Jeremy Leggett’s fantastic book “Global Warming: The Greenpeace Report”. It set me on a course for what has become a lifelong passion to understand and mitigate human impacts on the natural environment, through research and teaching. This book is one fruit of that endeavour. I sincerely hope that it will serve a useful purpose. Writing it has been a pleasure!
Darren Robinson
Baslow (Derbyshire), June 2023.
